hey, everyone. i'm craig melvin. we are about to show you some of the more interesting local stories making news this week. among them, who should tweet? we're going to explain some of the less trivial uss for the increasingly popular twitter. >> it's a fast, fun, sexy dancing workout that makes losing weight fun. >> it promises fat-burning benefits along with fun, but does it really do that? we're going to check out the zuba fitness program. and he did not even know english ten years ago, but he graduated at the top of his class.s. one local valedictorian's story. first, though, can a cold remedy cause you to lose your sense of smell?

one local man said so. he used zica an over-the-counter product, and those products have caused hundreds of people to lose their sense of smell according to the fda. michael flynn talked to a patient who said he can't smell or taste anymore. >> felt like someone had ignited gasoline in my nostrils. it was awful. >> this 33-year-old sterling resident says that's what happened when he used this zicam nasal cold remedy almost two years ago. since then, he complaints, he hasn't been able to taste or smell anything. >> it's bad. i mean, think about all the things that you smell, you know, day to day that no longer will you ever smell. i mean, rain on the black top smells. >> today, the fda told consumers to stop using the zicam nasal gel sprays and swabs about 130 product users have complained of losing their sense of smell. dr. robert hanken runs the taste and smell clinic in northwest

washington. he said more than ten patients make this same complaint. >> it isommon for people to lose their smell with a cold. the role of zicam is unclear. >> hanken and other scientists suspect that if zicam is the culprit, it's connected to the product's zinc content, which may damage nerves in the nose. zicam's maker posted a statement on its website saying the companyselveie these products are safe and believes the fda action is unwarned. the company has suspended shipnts of the products. >> why did you need that? >> this former zicam user praises the fda's warning but says it has come too late for him. he fears his sense of smell may never return. >> it's very angering. >> michael flynn, news 4. >> now, again, the marekor make zicam voluntariry li recalled the products but the company

insists the products are safe. it's a document but as controversial as its subject. the nine lives of marion barry closed out the film festival in our area. derrick ward talked about the story behind putting it on the screen. >> it's a story most of us would say we already know, but who pro-deucers of the documentary entitled "the nine lives of marion barry," say as closely as he's scrutinized, there are sides of his life we have never seen. >> want to make this film for outside of washington. washington is included, but we waed to show there's so much more to his story. >> the producers had unprecedented access covering his last campaign for city council. for the producers, it was a learning experience. >> as filmmakers you try to crawl into the mind of someone and blend into the woodwork. that was our main goal most of the final. working with marion, he's a difficult man. marion barry is a difficult man. sometimes it was fun, but

sometimes it's very difficult. >> wait a second. >> y'all bug me. >> news 4's jim vance and tom sherwood are both featured in the documentary. sherwood himself enjoyed a special relationship covering barry since the 1970s. >> i try to see the whole marion barry. so many people got so mad at him, the wrong things he's done, much of it self-inflicted on himself, they can't see that he's a human being. >> among the many challenges the filmmakers face was convincing people that this was a worthy project. the controversy that surrounds marion barry also surrounds most attempts just to tell his story. >> it was also incredibly difficult to get this funded because it's a difficult story, a dark story, and it didn't fit into any very grant-friendly pockets. and so, we really, really had to work to find the right people who put the money into this. >> and there were some people who said no to appearing in the documentary. >> people were devastated by marion barry and what happened

in the hotel. the city was devastated. and so, people that were angry about him, a lot of people have never gotten over that anger. >> whatever viewers come away with after this documentary, they must all agree that marion barry is a story that is still being written. derrick ward, news 4. >> that document will also air on hbo august 10th. moving on to another form of media, something you just can't seem to avoid these days. it ee's twitter maybe you're already on it. if you're not, you might be wondering why should i pete twooet? wendy rieger explains the possibles that come along with using this new tre in technology. >> so, welcome to introduction to twitter. who uses twitter? >> these people are here to learn about twitter and find out what's in it for them. >> there are thousands of journalists online. >> their instructor, rosalyn lemieux, says once they sign up, they will be in good company. >> in the last year, twitter usage has gone from about 450,000 users to about 7 million

users. >> 7 million? so, why aren't you on board? first, a quick recap for the neophyte. twitter is a way to send messages to your friends, family, business colleagues, anyone you want to be part of your network. each of those people, called your followers, have to sign up on twitter.com tve y ge messages, which are called tweets. ted has more than 200 people following him, and he signed up to follow more than 250 others. one of them is comcast cable. >> oh, comcast is down again, you know, where's my internet? and they'll reply and say, oh, yeah, there's a service outage in your area. >> julie parsons tweets in her job at the international association of amusement parks and aterrorist attack. >> we' -- and attractions. >> we're a consumer-driven company. >> julie's 300 followers find out about special progrs and services and news affecting their industry.

and the tweets come right to their e-mail inbox or cell phone in real time. >> really what you're doing is you're sharing information that is going to be useful to them. if you call each and every one of them, what are the types of things you would want to be communicating to them? because this is a way to do it and to do it, you know, in real time and to do it virally. >> alex georges advises organizations how to use social marketing. he says the key is to provide immediate information to your followers that they can't get anywhere else. >> it might be, you know, whatever your lobbying efforts are for this week on the hill. you know, if there are changes to, you know, your membership benefits, those types of things are important to communicate. >> getting started is easy. just find someone or somethindep to follow them. more than 2 million peoplent wa to know how ashton kuher spspent his day. thesahe cpeake bay's twitter account has some 800 followers. and if you hear sirens and you want to know where thehe fire trucks are going in loudoun county, why not get it tweeted

to you? yes, even the loudoun county fire department has a twitter account. back in class, rosalynn is warning her students the tweet must be brief, so choose your words carefully and put a little of your own personality in them. >> the world looks a little bit different through your lens than it does through anyone else's, and this is a way to show them. >> and with that, a whole new group of tweeters is born. wendy rieger, news 4. >> and you know what, news 4 is also on twitter. check us out. we've got more than 2,000 followers so far. also, much more ahead on "news4 this week," including the summer checklist you'll need if your kids are going to camp. and an update on the lite girl who stole everyone's hearts with her charm and

there he is. that's wynton marsalis, one of several jazz talents invited to the white house. he shared his music with students across the country. this was hosted by first lady michelle obama. she said it's only natural to start with jazz, america's indigenous art form. >> indeed, jazz is considered by many to be america's greatest artistic gift to the world. the understanding and appreciation of jazz is integral to understanding and appreciating american history and culture. >> country and classical music will also be featured in future

sessions of the white house music series. in case you missed it, a fourth season of "america's got talent" is under way. shows like this have brought us names including susan boyle and little caitlin mayer. the latest is the youngest and quite possibly the most precocious reality tv star we've ever seen. eun yang caught up with caitlin a year after her voice got into the competition's final rounds. >> hi. how are you going? >> i'm fine. how are you doing? >> i'm well. thank you for asking. >> she stole america's hearts with her sweet face, sparkling personality -- ♪ i think to myself what a wonderful world ♪ >> -- and her angelic voice. ♪ friends shaking hands saying how do you do they're really saying i love you ♪

>> in last season's "america's got talent," caitlin, who was 4 then, became the youngest contestant to make it into the top ten. >> and the most important thing is, is that i tried my best and i had fun and that's all that matters. >> she had never sung competitively or even in public before she stepped onto that stage, but was she nervous? >> no, never. i never get nervous. >> and how is it that such a young girl has so much confidence and poise? >> it's hard to say because i just try to think about not getting nervous and think about just having fun. >> since her appearance on the show, she's had a whirlwind year, singing at the lighting of the national christmas tree, appearing in commercials, and recording a voiceover for an upcoming disney movie. you love to sing. right? >> yes, i love to sing a lot.

♪ and i just want you to know that i love you ♪ >> caitlin is also recording her first cd, which is due out this summer. she even wrote some of the songs herself in her house in loudoun county. >> daddy was playing keno. i said, hold on. let me write something down. >> that's right. the talented 5-year-old writes and reads and still makes time to be a little girl. >> i like to swim. i like to do ballet. >> and what about the future? >> i want to be a princess. when i grow up. >> clearly, caitlin is well on her way. eun yang, news 4, asurn, virginia. >> caitlin. how about that? coming up, can a video help you dance your way to a better body? one woman finds out how well the fitness program works.

having the right tools is crucial

to being able to manage your diabetes properly. it's very important for me to uh check my blood sugar before i go sta. being on when i'm feing low can be like a rollercoaster. it does at times feel like my body is telling me to do one thing... and, my mind, my heart is telling me to do something else. managing my highs and lows is super important. with my contour meter i can personalize my high/lo settings so it really does micromanage where my blood sugar needs to be. i'm nick jonas and never slowing down my simple win. (beep) (beep) (beep) (beep) (beep) find an italian masterpiece in your grocer's freezer. new from buitoni. shrimp and lobster ravioli with garlic butter sauce. simple ingredients, artfully prepared. buitoni. the italian art ofood. new, in the freezer section.

summer's here, school's out, so for me, it means it's off to camp, and most summer camps require physicals and supplies. and get healthy for life has a few tools and a little advice to get your kids camp ready. >> no child is quite ready for summer camp unless they've got the right stuff. nurse practitioner debra benoit of minute clinics advises making a camp checklist of problems to avoid, like sunburn. make sure your youngster has and knows how to use sunscreen. >> make sure you get it on 20 to 30 minutes before exposure to the sun and if you get wet or you sweat, you need to reapply it. it's before camp that you practice how to put on that sunscreen. >> and if your child will be active in the sun, there's always the risk of dehydration. >> you want to drink before you're thirsty, so they need to stay on top of it during the day. a water bottle because they can just take sips constantly versus

chugging down the water. >> since camping in the great outdoors means exposure to pets, like ticks and mosquitoes, help your child avoid the big bite. >> you need to make sure that they take care of bites so they don't get infected. so, cleaning them, putting a mild deterge or lotion on them. and for the ticks, they need to be taken out correctly. a tick that stays in, one of those deer ticks, for over 36 hour, that's a greater danger for lyme disease. >> benoit recommends using a repellent containing deet. however, bug bites have a potential problem. many don't recognize poison ivy or sue mack. >> show them a picture. this if they come into contact with it, wash it immediately, soap and water, get it off, and tell a camp counselor. >> another comn problem, swimmer's ear, when the ear isn't sufficiently dried out, promoting bacterial growth. >> make sure the ear is dried out. a simple 1:10 alcohol/water

solution with a couple drops of vinegar helps dry the ear. >> weather at camp or not, kids can develop pink eye, which is contagio contagious. >> it can be contagious, and if you get pink eye you're really contagious. it's important to have your hand sanitizer, wash your hands. and if you get pink eye, you need to see the camp counselor because you'll have to get some antibiotic drops to take care of that. >> and what's the best way to get the splinters out? >> if they can feel it at all and you get a hold of it with a pair of tweezers, again, an adult to help, it's easy. if it's buried too deeply, we don't want children trying to dig with needles and things like that. they need to go to an adult to have them assist them. >> pat lawson muse, news 4. for many of us, summer also means hitting the gym and get bag in shape. if the gym isn't your thing, maybe zuma is. it's a dance-inspired workout video that promises to burn fat

without making it feel too much like work. but does it really do that? liz crenshaw checked it out. >> introducing zumba fitness. it's a fast, fun, sexy dance-inspired workout that makes losing weight fun. >> you want to lose weight and sculpt a leaner, sexier body, ditch the workout and start working out to zumba. that's what the infomercial says. zumba uses dance moves to work your body from top to bottom. its secret is burning calories at a rate up to 1,000 per hour and that's got the rhee yay or the all worked up. >> let's zumba! >> so, we sent the zumba dvd program and its infomercial to naomi's house. she says she loves latin music and dance and thought the program looked like a fun way to work out. the zumba program with its dvds and toning sticks costs $79.80

plus $12.95 shipping. however, for that price, it's going to work like magic on all our problem areas. >> but! >> does it really do that? >> naomi only used the program about three months before we visited, approximately three to four times a week when she first got it, now not as frequently. she did not follow the diet that came with it. >> okay, don't hit me. >> hi. >> how are you? >> how the zumba going? >> great. out of fun. >> outof breath? >> a little bit. >> yeah. >> she learned the basic steps on the first dvd, then picked out the routines she liked best, such as cardio party. each workout takes 40 to 50 minutes, and they yonaomi says t part is enjoying the music and learning different moves. >> different dances, salsa,

merengue, so it's up beat and fun. >> the zumba system also includes toning fit, which is supposed to enhance upper-body exercise. >> after doing it for a while, you feel it. i for sure feel it. >> naomi says she has not lost any weight with zumba but thinks her clothes fit a little bit better. >> i wish it was a higher impact workout, but, you know, once you figure out which parts you like, you can stick to those. >> so, the zumba, does it really do that? >> it does. i think it's -- it's fun. it's a fun workout. >> but for $93, would naomi buy it? >> i don't think so. i would rather go to the classes at the gym, i think, and do it with a group and a live instructor. up next, the non-english-speaking student who moved from indonesia to the top

of his loudoun county class.xh

this is truly an immigrant success story. in 2000, a boy moved from indonesia to loudoun county. not only did he not know anyone at his new school, but he didn't speak any english. now he's graduating at the top of his class. wa jane watrel has that story. >> it's a big day for mustafaa. he was chose on the lead his high school classmates in a graduation ceremony, a far cry from nine years ago when he arved in northern virginia from indonesia, speaking no english and having no friends weather only his family for support. >> just do my best. as long as -- it doesn't matter if i'm first or second or third or whatever, as long as i do my best, that's all that matters. >> mustafaa's efforts paid off. he's co-valedictorian of lakeview high school.

his principal says he's been an inspiration to all around him. >> i do. i think that his maturity coupled with his academic brilliance is certainly what has helped him stand out. >> getting to the top of a class of 296 seniors was no easy feat. 18 had a 4.0 or better. and the class of 2009 won top scholastic honors, beating every other high school in loudoun county. mustafaa credits the adults around him for helping him succeed, es pshlgly in math and physics. >> my parents encouraged me to learn and to study, and then my fourth grade elementary schoolteacher, mrs. simmons, she kind of like made me feel welcome and not, you know, like the other kid in the corner. >> his principal expects great things from this humble 17ear-old. >> and i have to tell you, i would not be surprised if i read about him sometime in his future

or i could even see him being a nobel prize winner or something. he is that good. >> in the fall, mustafaa will head to the university of virginia and start a new challenge, becoming an engineer. in fairfax, jane watrel, news 4. >> how about that. that's all for news 4 this week. thanks for joining us. have a great weekend. oh, what's this?

breakfast. it's kind of early, buddy. you've got to need to take some cholesterol off you. honey, have you been reading the cheerios box again? he got that off the box. (announcer) cheerios is made with 100% natural whole grain oats to help lower your cholesterol. that was very thoughtful of you. very early, but very thoughtful. (annouer) cheerios. good for the heart.

so you've crashed into a tree... kathy shear, nationwide insurance. you take out your phone and you open up the nationwide mobile app. so you click on the accident toolkit... you can take a picture of the damage. there's an interactive form that lets you exchange information with the other driver. it also has the ability to record the exact location of the accident. we're the first insurance company to have a claims app like this. for more innovative thinking go to nationwide.com today. my name is kathy shear and i'm on your side.